Elderly Tri-Cities woman hurt after robber posing as a worker forced his way into home
A suspect posing as a construction worker allegedly forced his way into a West Richland home and hurt an 88-year-old woman while robbing her.
Juan Carlos Enciso-Fermin, 19, has been in Benton County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail since police used dogs to track him after the robbery on Jan. 31.
He refused to give officers his name, and was only identified using his fingerprints after being taken to the jail, Deputy Prosecutor Brooke Sempel said Monday.
West Richland robbery
Enciso-Fermin allegedly knocked on the door of a home on the 1300 block of 62nd Avenue in West Richland about noon on Jan. 31.
When the elderly homeowner answered the door, he said he was there to work on the house, according to court documents. As they were talking, he allegedly pushed his way into the house, assaulted the woman, grabbed a purse and ran away.
It’s not clear how police were alerted to the break-in, but they found the homeowner on the floor bleeding when they arrived. She had “large” and “serious” cuts on her arm and head, court documents said.
Police used two K9’s to track Enciso-Fermin to some heavy brush nearby, West Richland police said in a Facebook post.
“The male just happened to appear in front of an officer. A foot pursuit ensued,” West Richland police said in the post.
After the chase, police caught and arrested the man. Police found he had a backpack with various documents, including bank cards belonging to the woman.
She was treated by medics at the scene and is doing well, West Richland police said.
Criminal history
After jailers were able to identify the man using his fingerprints, prosecutors also learned that Enciso-Fermin had an active warrant for second-degree assault in Franklin County. He was accused of helping to pull a man out of a car and attack him in Pasco in May 2022.
After paying his bail in that case, Sempel said he was charged with a DUI in February 2023.
The new information about his criminal history led Sempel to ask for Enciso-Fermin’s bail to go up to $250,000.
Defense Attorney Charles Dow reserved on arguing bail.
Commissioner Megan Whitmire said she felt $100,000 was still an appropriate bail for Enciso-Fermin.
Prosecutors charged him on Monday with first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and second-degree theft in connection with the robbery.